This invention relates to a face mask for diving.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a face mask 101 for diving of prior art and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line Vxe2x80x94V in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, chain lines indicate contours H of a diver wearing the mask 101. The mask 101 comprises a pair of front lenses 102, a lens frame 103 having the lenses 102 held therein, a skirt 104 extending rearward from peripheries of the lenses 102 and a head band 105 extending rearward from laterally opposite ends of the lens frame 103. The skirt 104 is made of flexible elastic material and defines between the pair of lenses 102 a nose cover 106 projecting forward. The nose cover 106 has a pair of side walls 107 lying on both sides of a mask wearer""s nose and a bottom wall 108 underlying the wearer""s nares. The side walls 107 are dimensioned to be sufficiently high so that proximal ends 109 thereof come in contact with the mask wearer""s face. A portion 111 of the skirt 104 contiguous to the proximal ends 109 is curved in V-shape and extends to the lenses 102. To some degree, the nose cover 106 configured in this manner solves a problem such that the nose cover 106 is collapsed or remarkably deformed under a water pressure in the midst of diving.
However, the higher the side walls 107 the lower the rigidity of the nose cover 106 so far as the nose cover 106 also is made of flexible elastic material. In consequence, the nose cover in the face mask for diving as has been described above is still apt to be deformed under a water pressure.
It is an object of this invention to provide a face mask for diving designed so that its nose cover is effectively protected from being readily deformed.
According to this invention, there is provided a face mask for diving comprising a pair of front lenses, a lens frame adapted to hold the lenses and a head band extending rearward from laterally opposite ends of the lens frame so as to form a loop, wherein the lenses are surrounded by a pair of annular portions defined by the lens frame, respectively, the annular portions intersecting each other along upper edges thereof and extending downward from this intersecting point so as to describe a substantially inverted V-shape between the lenses and wherein the skirt defines, in this V-shaped region defined by the lens frame, a nose cover projecting forwardly of the mask.
The face mask further comprises the nose cover having a pair of side walls lying on both sides of the mask wearer""s nose and a bottom wall underlying the nares of the mask wearer, the lens frame having inner and outer peripheral surfaces at least inside and outside the annular portions and inner surface and an inner surface extending between the inner and outer peripheral surfaces and confronting the face of the mask wearer and a portion of the skirt which is contiguous to respective proximal ends of the side walls being curved along the annular portions of the lens frame closely in contact with the inner peripheral surface and the inner surface.